Low risk impounding activities: RPS 302
Environment Agency regulatory position on low risk impounding activities.
- From:
- Environment Agency
- Published
- 3 October 2024
- Last updated
- 25 June 2025 — See all updates
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have and comply with an impounding licence when you either:
- construct or alter any impounding works on any watercourse
- cause the flow of any watercourse, including some lakes, reservoirs and ponds, to be obstructed by impounding works
However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with this legal requirement if you meet the requirements in the RPS.
The regulatory position does not apply to any other legal requirements.
Updates to this page
Published 3 October 2024
Last updated 25 June 2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
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We have clarified which activities are covered by the RPS; made the general and activity specific conditions clearer and more risk-based; included new activities focusing on habitat restoration, nature-based solutions and natural flood risk management techniques; and included an activity to allow for larger weirs and structures to be removed.
-
First published.
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Details
This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have and comply with an impounding licence when you either:
- construct or alter any impounding works on any watercourse
- cause the flow of any watercourse, including some lakes, reservoirs and ponds, to be obstructed by impounding works
However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with this legal requirement if you meet the requirements in the RPS.
The regulatory position does not apply to any other legal requirements.
Updates to this page
-
We have clarified which activities are covered by the RPS; made the general and activity specific conditions clearer and more risk-based; included new activities focusing on habitat restoration, nature-based solutions and natural flood risk management techniques; and included an activity to allow for larger weirs and structures to be removed.
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-09-22 08:26
Amended the general conditions to align with the general conditions in Low risk abstraction for nature recovery actions and fish or eel passage: RPS 374. Introduced a new requirement to notify the Environment Agency for 3 of the low risk impounding activities. Added a link to a new webform, used to notify the Environment Agency of either of these 3 activities.
2025-06-25 11:08
We have clarified which activities are covered by the RPS; made the general and activity specific conditions clearer and more risk-based; included new activities focusing on habitat restoration, nature-based solutions and natural flood risk management techniques; and included an activity to allow for larger weirs and structures to be removed.
2024-10-03 13:55
First published.